1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to encouraging creating of ideas and intellectual work, and more specifically relates to systems, methods, applications, and modules that create a virtual work environment where thoughts and ideas can be cultivated with a level of anonymity provided to the subscribers of the virtual work environment.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Over the years, various individuals and organizations have attempted to develop systems to encourage the development of ideas and promote intellectual work. In recent years, there has been an explosion of the importance of developing ideas and protecting the same, whether within or without an organization. Unfortunately, it is typically difficult to develop ideas within an organization because of restrictive physical work limitations commonplace to many organizations.
Currently, organizations rely upon individuals, whether alone or in small teams of groups, to develop ideas that may be beneficial to the organization. Unfortunately, this manner of creating ideas is inefficient and limits the effectiveness of each individual to develop and promote ideas within an organization. It is extremely difficult for a member of an organization without authority within the organization to promote an idea or suggestion sufficiently that it may have an effect upon the future direction of the organization. Illustratively, an individual working in a mailroom of an organization would have significant difficulty in directing an idea or suggestion for an organization to a vice president or other upper level management of the organization. More senior organization employees can stop at any time and for any reason propagation of the idea or suggestions by the mailroom employee. For instance, if the mailroom employee's supervisor dislikes the employee, he or she can simply not propagate the idea to the supervisor's superior. Alternatively, the supervisor can take ownership of the idea without providing appropriate credit to the employee that actually thought of the idea. In this latter case, the employee may refrain from expressing additional ideas because credit is not given to the conceiver of the idea. In either case, the organization is unable to harness the intelligence and creativity of many individuals, at different levels, within an organization.
The perceived intelligence or creativity applied to different individuals with different educational backgrounds and positions within an organization is also a significant hindrance to the development of ideas and performance of intellectual work within an organization. Continuing the example described above, the individual working in a mailroom may be perceived as not being as intellectual as, say, a vice president. Further, a vice president may not think that any comment or idea of the mailroom employee would have merit to him or her and/or the organization as a whole. Therefore, ideas developed by lower level employees, that may have significant benefit to an organization, are not propagated through the organization to the appropriate individuals that may encourage and subsequently implement the idea.
It would be a benefit to provide systems, methods, and modules to facilitate development of ideas and responses to posed questions within an environment where perceived outward physical attributes of an individual or the individual's position within the organization do not influence the propagation of an idea or response to a query through an organization.